Test Your EQ
— Issue #163
Each month, Test Your EQ presents
some basic engineering problems for you to test
your Engineering Quotient. What's your EQ?
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Problem
1—Draw
the circuit for a “window comparator” for voltages, where
the output is high whenever the input voltage VIN
is between two other variable voltages—V1 and
V2—and low otherwise.
Answer
Problem
2—A TV antenna is being used to receive a commercial
broadcast station (i.e., over the air, not via cable).
However, a strong ghost image is observed on the TV screen
about 2² to
the right of the main image. If the TV screen is 20² wide, how can you locate
the source of the ghost?
Answer
Problem 3—What’s a simple way to reduce or eliminate
the effects of a single ghost in a TV image?
Answer
Problem
4—Describe an algorithm that can find a 2-D convex
hull, which is defined to be the smallest polygon that
encloses a set of points in a plane.
Answer
Problem
5—Can you extend the 2-D convex hull algorithm
to handle a 3-D hull, which would be the smallest polyhedron
surrounding a cloud of points?
Answer
Problem
6—What does ANSI specification C16.5-1942, which
is now incorporated into IEC 60268-17, describe?
Answer
Problem
7—What is the purpose of a “guard ring” on a
PCB?
